Knitting machine needle



T. .1. THORE 2,914,934

KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE Filed April 26, 1957 KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE Thomas J. Thore, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Fidelity Machine Company, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania 1 Application April 26, 1957, Serial No. 655,257

4 Claims. (Cl. 66-423) This invention relates to knitting machine needles and more particularly to needles of the type wherein the needle proper is carried by a holder or jack.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a needle of this type wherein the needle proper is joined separably to the holder by improved means hereinafter described.

The invention relates also to needles of the stated type wherein provision is made for transfer from the needle to a second needle of a loop of yarn carried by the former, said means cooperating functionally in novel manner with the aforesaid joining means as hereinafter described.

The invention contemplates also an improved form of dial needle for that type of knitting machine employing both cylinder and dial needles in the knitting function.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the attached drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view showing adjoining sections of the cylinder and the dial of a knitting machine and the dial needle forming the subject of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of the needle and the lower end of the jack;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view in perspective of the parts shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the needle in projected position with respect to the dial, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 5-5, Fig. 2, showing in broken lines the upper end of one of the cylinder needles associated with the dial needle.

With reference to the drawings, 1 indicates the upper end of the cylinder of a knitting machine, and 2 one of the cylinder needles carried by the cylinder 1 and operating in the latter in conventional manner. 3 is a conventional sinker. The dial of the machine is indicated at 4, and 5 is one of the dial needles which in the present instance is carried at the lower end of a holder or jack 6. The jack is pivotally supported at 7 in the dial structure and is oscillated about the pivot to actuate the needle in conventional manner. In accordance with the invention the needle is guided in its movement in a slot 8 in the dial. The needles function jointly in the knitting function in conventional manner, and the mechanisms by which they are actuated form no part of the present invention and may be considered conventional.

In accordance with the invention the needle 5 is joined separably to the lower end of the jack. To this end the needle is formed with a rearward body portion 9 having a semi-cylindrical boss 11 at the top which fits a correspondingly shaped recess or socket 12 in the lower end of the jack. Coinciding surfaces 13 and 14 extend forwardly from the boss and socket respectively; and similarly coinciding surfaces 15 and 16 of greater length extend rearwardly from the boss and socket. The relatively great length of the latter surfaces being accommodated by heel like extensions 17 and 18 at the backs of the needle and jack. Immediately below the boss 11 is a recess 19 in the side of the needle body, the recess United States Patent() being of maximum depth at the bottom edge of the needle and tapering smoothly upwardly and outwardly to the said side surface as indicated at 21 in Fig. 5. The function of this recess is to enable the associated cylinder needle 2, shown in broken lines in Fig. 5, to pass upwardly through a yarn loop 22 carried by the needle 5 for subsequent transfer of the loop fromthe dial to the cylinder needle.

This transfer operation and the function broadly of the recess 19 in facilitating the operation are known in the art and form no part of the present invention except in the limited sense hereinafter set forth.

According further to the invention, the boss 11 together with the adjoining surfaces 13 and 15 of the needle body, and the socket 12 and surfaces 14 and 16 of the jack are produced by stamping operations using mated dies affording the press fit between the joint surfaces required to maintain the needle and jack rigidly together in operation. I have discovered that a dieing operation of this character in thin metal affords a cut edge surface of peculiar properties. That part of the surface which adjoins the face of the metal from which the cut is initiated is relatively smooth and free from surface abrasions; whereas the part of the surface of the cut edge which adjoins the opposite face is rough and abraded. This is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5 wherein the initially formed smooth area is indicated by the numeral 23 and the subsequently formed relatively rough surface area by the numeral 24. The relative widths of the areas vary but may individually embrace approximately fifty percent of the total thickness of the metal.

I have discovered also that this peculiar formation may be used to material advantage in jointing the two parts together. Although the surface areas 23 and 24 in the socket 12 and on the boss 11 do not differ in radial dimension, a material increase is noted in resistance to separation of the needle from the jack if the parts are stamped so that in assembly the relatively rough areas lie in contact with each other as shown for example in Fig. 5. This same tendency to resist separation is noted in the abutting pairs of surfaces 13, 14 and .15, 16.

It will be noted also that the recess 19 is not only located immediately below the boss 11 but also on the face of the needle wherein the stamping operation is initiated and which therefor adjoins the smooth surface 23. I have discovered that the resistance to displacement of the needle from the assembly toward the side of the rough edge surfaces 24 is substantially in excess of the resistance to displacement toward the opposite side. Advantage is taken of this phenomenon by placing the recess 19 as described above so that any lateral pressure exerted on the needle 5 by the associated cylinder needle 2 in the loop transfer operation and tending to separate the needle 5 from its jack will be resisted to the available maximum.

Referring now to Fig. 4, it will be noted that when the dial needle. is fully extended, the extended heel 17 of the needle body lies well within the outer end area of the guide slot 8 and that a substantial part of the total length of the needle extending into the area of recess 19 receives direct support from the sides of the slot. This affords additional substantial resistance to displacement of the needle from the jack under operational strain.

I claim:

1. In a jack-supported dial needle wherein the needle is secured in the jack by a solderless joint, a dovetailed projecting boss at the top of the needle, a correspondingly dovetailed socket in the jack in which the boss is press fitted, and a cylinder needle camming recess intersecting the lower edge of the needle and confined entirely to one face of the latter immediately below the boss.

2. In combination, a dial having needle slots, pivoted jacks, and needles on the ends of the jacks and guided in said slots between retracted and extended positions, each said jack and its needle having an extended heel portion toward the inner end of the associated slot .adapted to occupy the outer end of the slot'whenathe needle occupies-the extended position, said needles being joined to the respective jacks by press fitted, solderless joints which individually intersect the rear edge of the 'heel portion in a position below the upper edge of the slot and confined within the limitsv of the slot when the needle is in the extended position.

3. In a jack supported dial needle wherein the needle extends approximately at right angles to the jack and is secured to the latter by-a solderless joint, a dovetailed socket in the end edge of the jack, a complementary dovetailed projecting boss at the top of the needle and intermediate the ends of the latter having a press fit with the socket, and inter-bearing surfaces Onthe said end edge of the jack and on the top of the needle at both sides of the socket and boss extending generally longitudinally of the needle.

4. In combination, a dial having needle slots, pivoted jacks, and dial needles on the ends of the jacks and guided in said slots between retracted and extended positions, a cylinder needle for each dial needle mounted for reciprocation in a path at right angles to and intersecting the path of movement of the dial needle, said dial needles being joined to the respective jacks by press-fitted solderless joints, said needle and jacks having stamped interlocking and abutting edges, each exhibiting longitudinal relatively smooth and abraded areas with the abraded area of one element in abutment with the abraded area of the other element, said areas adjoining opposite faces respectively of the elements, and a cylinder needle camrning recess intersecting the edge of the needle opposite the said interlocking edges at a point of intersection of said paths in the extended position of said dial needle and confined entirely to the face of the needle which adjoins said relatively smooth area, and means to displace said cylinder needle upwardly into engagement with said needle camming recess following displacement of said dial needle to its extended position whereby said recess cams said cylinder needle out of the path of movement of said dial needle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 255,971 Griswold Apr. 4, 1882 1,148,267 Williams July 27, 1915 2,165,464 Eichner July 11, 1939 2,431,635 Currier Nov. 25, 1947 2,797,566 Lawson July 2, 1957 

